Nice day for Curra
CURRAGH trainer John Feane bounced back to form at Dundalk on Friday with two winners and a second from his four runners.
Have A Nice Day (10/1) got the ball rolling in the D Hotel Handicap when just getting the better of 5/2 favourite Ambassadorial, who made a pleasing return from a 359day absence in the seven-furlong contest.
Have A Nice Day has now won ten races, eight of them for Sabrina Harty, four of them when ridden, like tonight, by David Simmonson. Not bad for a horse that cost owners Larry and Helen Dempsey ‘about a third of tonight’s winning prize-money’.
Have A Nice Day has now won four times at Dundalk, but he has some way to go to catch his stable-mate, the evergreen Six Silver Lane.
In landing the Print Express Handicap, the ten-year-old was winning at Dundalk for the ninth time. The eye-catching grey is a stable favourite, a horse that John acquired when he was four. John was also quick to express his delight for winning rider, Adam Farragher: ‘When he joined us two years ago, he’d never ridden a horse. Now he’s had two winners from 14 rides’.
John had to settle for second with Spruce Meadows in the LMFM Family Fun Day Sunday 6th May Handicap as Andy Oliver’s Financial Conduct (2/1f) ran out an impressive three-length winner in the hands of Shane Foley.
A three-time Dundalk winner from his seven career runs, Financial Conduct, whose rating will now rise into the 90s, is likely to attract interest from Irish and LOCAL rally duo Ruairi Mac Artain and David Crilly headed southwest for the Limerick Forest Rally and round two of the Valvoline Irish Championship last weekend.
The crew showed good pace after two stages, sitting seventh in class and 53rd overall, but this all ended when a broken steering rack on stage three forced driver Ruairi off track and ended their day early.
Ruair and his navigatior David are supported by a number of local businesses including Gerry Cumiskey VW, Crillys Londis, Ravensdale, Martins Bar Riverstown, GX2 Automotive, North South Joinery Ltd, Car-L-Parts, O’Reilly Signs and Michael Carroll Snap-on.
Their next outing is will be at the Moonraker Forest Rally in Cork this weekend.
To keep up to date with the team follow them at Mac Artain Motorsport on Facebook.